After the Orange
Almond Wholewheat cake, its time for some savoury bake today. Veg Au Gratin
is a family favourite, which is so versatile that any veggies can be sneaked in
for a whole dish. I made this for a party recently, and the kids and adults
went gaga over it.

In the culinary arts, the term au
gratin (pronounced "oh-GRAH-tan") refers to a dish that is baked
with a topping of seasoned breadcrumbs and cheese. The au gratin topping should
be golden brown, which can be achieved by baking or by placing the dish under a
broiler (source:here).

So,basically any meat or veggies
are sautéed and then baked under a silky creamy cheesy crust, grilled a bit. Au
Gratins are generally cheese heavy and therefore laden with fat. However, we
made clever substitutions with both the white sauce and used lesser cheese but loved it nevertheless

Baking Marathon Day 2 : Veg Au
Gratin

Recipe type : Vegetable Bakes,
Cuisine : French adaptation

Spice level : Medium. Serves : 4

Prep time: 30 mins | Bake time :
30 mins (varies from oven to oven)

What you need:

Vegetables (your choice):

Squash / yellow pumpkin / Kaddu –
100 gms

Potato – 1 large

Baby corn – 4 to 5

Carrots – 1 large

Cauliflower – 10 florets (large)

String beans (French beans) – a
handful

Macaroni / or any other pasta – 50
gms (optional)

For the white sauce:

Wholewheat flour – 3 TBSP

Oil – 1 tsp

Milk – 1 cup

Salt and pepper- to taste

Olive oil – 3 tspGrated cheese – 1 cup

Notes:

The amount of butter in the white sauce, combined with any APF (maida) used will give out a softer buttery sheen on top. Also I did not use any butter or maida and used very little cheese for topping. You can adjust cheese , butter quantities as per your liking.

Method:

Phase 1 : Veggies & pasta Prep
: Blanch the veggies (except pumpkin and potato) for 5- 8 mins in salted water,
drain. Thinly slice the pumpkin using a mandolin (without skin) and place it on
a greased tava- let it brown on both sides a bit. Cool. Similarly peel and
place slices of potato for 8 – 10 mins (flipping them intermittently) till they
slightly cook and brown at the edges. Cool. Also cook the pasta (or macaroni) as
per packet instructions and drain.